Ад в Раю Hell in Paradise

CRETE UNMARKED - 2012Travel notesEvgeny Pronin, Elena Pronina - 2012Moscow-Crete (Heraklion). 22.07. 2012 Morning Successful and comfortable flight Moscow - Crete (Heraklion). We hope to spend all three weeks of our “deserved rest” successfully and are ready to replenish our “baggage of the best memories” with impressions from Crete, which we have dreamed of meeting for so long. 22.07. 2012 evening 17 hours. The beginning of our not the best impressions, but rather the misadventures associated with the proposed vacation in the hotel of our choice called "Elounda Blu Beach". At the time of disembarking from the bus that brought us from Heraklion airport, we learned that this hotel has two different names: previously used - "Elounda Blue Bay", which was "notorious" among tourists (data taken from the Internet) who visited this hotel, and according to the reviews of which this hotel deserves no more than 2 "stars", and not 4, in fact, and the second, new, now used in advertising brochures, "Elounda Blu Beach". We were unpleasantly surprised by this turn of events, because we knew in advance about the low quality of service at the Elounda Blue Bay Hotel, which is why we obviously did not want to spend our holidays there. In fact, the opposite happened: misinformation from the Zeus travel travel agency about the non-ownership of these two different names to the same hotel led to the fact that we ended up in the very hotel where we initially categorically did not want to go. Further events followed, about which we do not want to remain silent. Initially, it “struck my eye”: the unkempt territory of the hotel (garbage bins filled to the top and a huge pile of garbage bags - right at the entrance to the hotel), unattractiveness in the design of the reception, shabby lining of the wooden wall panels, putty spots on the ceiling, indicating unfinished or on the contrary, the just begun renovation, and the unpresentable appearance of the reception manager, who gave us the keys to the room where we were supposed to be accommodated. (Further events are described in chronological order). Check-in to room 115, located on the first level of the Elounda Blu Beach hotel - 4 stars: “hoz. block" as an adjacent room, where cans of oil and other paints, solvents, rags, various rags and garbage, used brushes for repair work are stored in large quantities, there is an ashtray with cigarette butts, glasses from drinks, on the walls "blooms" mold, near the floor, in the place of contact with the wall of the room offered to us, a through breach. In the room itself: on the wall - a huge stain of damp mold; wallpaper, lagging behind the walls; a stain of rotten wood blackens on the wooden upholstery near the bed; in the toilet, a waste bin with a hinged lid does not function and the lid must be opened by hand; beds in size - non-standard, apparently intended for children; the bedside lamp does not turn on, the “balcony door”, which is also the entrance door, goes directly to the dirty asphalt of the road (the door does not even have a rug to wipe the dust off the shoes when entering the room); the air conditioning cooling unit is located on the floor (asphalt) near the same "balcony" door and hot air is sent directly to the room when it is opened (i. e. , airing the room is not supposed). With all this, the room has a heavy, suffocating smell of old tobacco smoke and a sharp smell of chemicals. Everything we have seen does not portend a pleasant rest and peaceful sleep. The only thing that pleased us at that moment was the sudden appearance of a gray, “ours”, SPARROW. But he, having chirped something, immediately flew away, as if prompting: “it’s time for you to leave here too - as quickly as possible! ”22.07. 2012 evening 18h30 Returning with things and documents to the reception, a request to delve into the current situation of the duty manager, her absolute indifference to our claims and unwillingness to somehow resolve the situation with the replacement of the number that does not suit us with another one; forced imitation of the threat of filing a complaint with the Russian Embassy, ​ ​ as the last, effective means - to attract the attention of the duty manager, who "does not understand" the Russian language, and, as a result, the immediate promise that followed after that from the manager - "to sort out the situation" and, then, the replacement (within ten minutes) of the originally offered us room for living, which is in an unsanitary condition, with a more comfortable one. This "more comfortable" room (503) was located on the fifth level of the hotel, far from the. block", and in it, unlike the one "rejected" by us, "only" a rusty screw stuck out from the outer and inner sides of the door (this screw "acted" as a guide for the door handle and had sharp jagged edges clinging to the hands); there was no door opening limiter in the bathroom, which was a gross violation of safety rules and a threat to the life and health of residents, because at any moment the glass partition in the shower cabin could be broken by a metal door handle directly hitting the glass partition when opened; the upholstery on the beds hung in patches, because the upholstery fabric had long served its expiration date, apparently, and was decrepit, like decayed paper; in the shower, washbasin and toilet bowl, instead of cold water, which was discovered the next day,... boiling water was pouring in the daytime. BUT: birds sing, cicadas sound, flowers bloom, and, most importantly, the SEA is very close, a ten-minute walk along steep stone paths (not entirely safe and convenient when climbing - for vacationers, as it turned out). BUT: THE SKY is blue, the air is almost mountainous. (Why “almost” - they found out only on the third day of their stay at the hotel. In the meantime, the evening moist air brought some kind of strange smell: either stale water, or rotting plants, or... )... BUT: I wanted to - think only about the GOOD. 23.07. 2012 We have "repaired" the handle on the front door. Obviously, the “plumbing specialists” worked: they... sawed off a rusty screw, leaving the handle the same - unpresentable, in appearance. With regard to the protruding rusty screw on the inside of the door, no measures were taken: apparently, "there was not enough strength. " (As they say, "thank you for that too"). Leaving for a while not completely “brought to mind” the room, which seemed to us “just a salvation” after shocking with its “surprises” originally proposed and issued, moreover, by the hotel management for a “four-star” (which, when paying for a tourist ticket, doubt - we didn’t have to), we explore the surroundings, enjoy the SEA: THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, YOU ARE A MIRACLE !!! . (It is so big and powerful that it takes your breath away! Its branches make noise from the wind and it seems that the SEA is making noise). Our GUEST turned out to be a fluffy animal, similar to a gray RAT, which looked at us with interest from a palm tree branch and allowed itself to be photographed without fear of a camera flash, and then rushed down and, deftly escaping along the roof of the neighboring room, disappeared into the bushes. (Subsequently, we found information on the Internet that it was none other than the endemic of the island of Crete - the NEEDLE MOUSE). 24.07. 2012 The night SKY is fantastic! Bright constellations, satellites gliding along their given trajectories, flickering multi-colored lights of aircraft. The sea reflects the MOUNTAINS and the SKY. The earthly "constellations" of flowering cacti amaze the imagination of anyone who sees this MIRACLE! The air is filled with the aroma of flowering shrubs, herbs and flowers. Enjoy the freshness of the CRETAN NIGHT. Suddenly, suddenly. . . it takes your breath away - a nauseating smell appears in the air, the source of which turned out to be... streams of feces flowing over flowering lawns: a suffocating "aroma" has devalued everything in the world WONDERS OF NATURE. (Oh, the "brilliant invention of a connoisseur of the plumbing industry" from "Elounda Blu Beach": in order to save on the disposal of waste from human "civilization", as well as on the purchase of clean water, they are used to water the plants on the territory of this 4-star hotel - " unrecycled waste” or, more simply, sewage effluents - not cleaned, not neutralized and foul-smelling). Having tightly closed the door to the balcony and the window in the shower room, with a poorly working air conditioner, we tried to fall asleep, but the thought that microbes and bacteria dangerous to the human body from the components of decomposing feces, hovering in the surrounding air, filled our lungs, drove away sleep . (“We barely survived” - until the morning). 25.07. 2012 The insistent demand that we made to the guide Maria Khrustova the next morning to deal with the inadequate situation in the hotel gave a positive result: a man appeared in front of us in snow-white clothes and white patent leather shoes, who turned out to be not a magician or a magician, but the acting director of the hotel. Smiling amiably, he shook hands with us, listened attentively to our claims (the same interpreter was the guide Maria). Next, a “morning walk” was made, accompanied by the above-mentioned acting director of the hotel, who agreed, nevertheless, to go to our room - in the same way that we pass daily - ourselves, as well as the rest of the vacationers living on the upper levels of the hotel. (Initially, he wanted to drive to our place of residence in an electric car, but he could not ignore our "incorrect" request - "to take a walk"). As we expected, our “high-ranking escort” did not like the foul-smelling streams of feces on the lawns at all, so he began to shout loudly at someone on his cell phone, while holding his nose in disgust. Then he came to our room to make sure that all claims to his condition were not invented by us. (I made sure. Particular disgust caused in him a piece of decayed fabric from the upholstery of the bed, "helpfully" placed by us in his hand). As a result of a personal examination of our dysfunctional room, he promised to "immediately fix everything" and gave his "word of honor" that he would fix the irrigation system and that "such an outrage will not happen again. " (We - believed. And who would not believe? The word of HONOR is worth a lot). By the way, as compensation for the inconvenience caused, personally and. about. The hotel director offered us: “for the entire stay at the hotel, use the services of a massage therapist and a manicurist in the spa salon of the hotel free of charge. ” (Of course, we refused). BECAUSE: THE SEA is “super”! The beach is clean and well maintained. This is the only one on the entire coast of Elounda: the fact has been established - by us personally. The rest of the beaches on the coast are "for an amateur": dirty sand, blooming algae in the water, sea urchins underfoot, ships located directly in the bathing areas, gasoline stains from boats and boats scurrying around, a highway bordering on places of "lying" vacationers who are completely indifferent, oddly enough, all of the above. Maybe the magical phrase “all inclusive” plays its role in this indifference to one’s health, which just here, on the beach, which is practically unsuitable for use, works perfectly. (“The way to the heart of a vacationer, whatever you say, lies through the stomach”).... In the evening, as soon as we were about to take a walk to the SEA, the reception rang and we were informed that the door handle would now be repaired. Some time later, accompanied by about. the director of the hotel, a locksmith came to us and replaced the rusty screw on the door with a coveted handle. ("It's a cool sight" when, under the supervision of "such a big man", the usual work of minor repairs in the room is carried out! Apparently, this is the custom - here: at the Elounda Blu Beach hotel). After a job well done to replace the handle on the door, he, and. about. director of the hotel, it was promised to replace the beds - no later than tomorrow. 26.07. 2012 After breakfast, a "surprise" was waiting for us: the covers on the beds were replaced and the mattresses were changed. In addition, the beds were covered with bedspreads. . (Excellent! Our room is "almost 3-star")!... We wanted to sleep off during the day, when the sun is mercilessly scorching and it’s simply dangerous to leave the room, but we didn’t succeed, because there are no signs stating that “it’s not advisable to disturb” or something like that, so the technical staff comes to any convenient for him time to clean the room.... At night they enjoyed the smell of FLOWERS and TREES: watering with feces was stopped. 27.07. 2012 We met a Hedgehog on the lawn in the evening: such a “lapul”! Gave us - "stroke". (It was read on the Internet that Hedgehog in Crete is also endemic). Slept peacefully at night. 28.07. 2012 We continue to inhale the aromas of FLOWERS and the smell of the SEA. We rejoice, but we are afraid to jinx it. 29.07. 2012 "Jinxed"! At two o'clock after midnight, the air in the vicinity of the hotel again resembled a specific smell in a public toilet and was so nauseating that it was necessary to close the door to the balcony and the window in the shower room again, which served as an air vent in the toilet, combined in a room with a shower cabin. But, nevertheless, there is a suffocating smell of sewerage in the room, because the air conditioner clearly did not cope with its functions. . We identified the source of the unpleasant odor when we left the room: the building in which our room was located was surrounded on three sides by rubber hoses, from which a solution was sprayed onto plants and in all directions from them, a solution that was not at all like water for irrigation. The mood was spoiled, sleep, already short, interrupted. There is no time to take any measures to eliminate this unpleasant episode, because at 5 hours 15 minutes (instead of 7 hours 15 minutes agreed upon when buying a tour ticket and, later, “corrected” by our guide Maria Khrustova, but not agreed in advance with us and ten of our companions on the excursion to Santorini) had to be at the place of departure of the sightseeing bus. A sea voyage to the active volcano Fera on the island of Santorini took place and the pleasure received from it was not overshadowed by a sleepless night, or even by the fault of our “not quite diligent” hotel guide Maria, from 5 to 7 in the morning we were forced to stand on road waiting for the tour bus. (All the ridiculous position of the waiting tourists - losers was smoothed out only by a magnificent spectacle: DAWN was breaking over the SEA)! After the sea voyage, the mood was upbeat: not everyone manages to visit the places where the ancient peoples, who were considered the progenitors of European civilization, once kept their countdown, and where the old madman Vulcan, who buried forever the secret of the History of the "Minoan" Crete, still does not sleep... At midnight we returned to the hotel, not assuming that another sleepless and painful night awaits us: like the previous one. 30.07. 2012 About 2 hours after midnight another "bacteriological attack" began. But this time, the smell of feces was so suffocating that we were no longer saved by the closed door and window in the shower. Running out of the room, we were horrified: feces flowed in streams directly along the pedestrian road, in the middle of which lay, dead, the cub of our "acquaintance" - THE NEEDLE MOUSE. We did not notice any physical damage on his corpse: he was a clear victim of poisonous streams that flooded everything around. This was followed by a "night walk" at the reception and our requirement for the manager on duty - to call and. about. director of the hotel to take concrete measures to eliminate the situation that threatens the health of others, and immediately turn off the irrigation system. An attempt to meet with about. The director of the hotel turned out to be ineffective: at night, according to the manager, he rests. The shutdown of watering followed only after we insisted that the manager personally walked through the area flooded with feces to our room. With Mr. and about. Director of the hotel, we met only after 10 o'clock in the morning. As in the previous meeting, he shook hands with us for a long time, smiled and gave another "word of honor" that "this will not happen again" and that "today there was a breakdown of the irrigation system and nothing more. " In addition, he promised that after her repair, the plants in the hotel would not be watered with sewage, but with CLEAR WATER. Again - BELIEVED. (Like our compatriot from St. Petersburg, who, taking advantage of the situation when the head of the hotel was “available” to “ordinary” vacationers, decided to personally hear from him the answer to her questions. For example: why is it damp in her room with her daughter, air conditioning - does not work, and in bed with linen that is not white, they find wood lice and cockroaches). In the evening, they called us to the room from the SPA - salon of the hotel and reminded us not to forget to use their free, for us, services and clarified that by order and. about. The director of the hotel, in addition to the previously promised free services, we were also invited to use the sauna. (A tempting offer, of course. But the Russian proverb about free cheese in a mousetrap came to mind).... At night they again breathed clean air, although they no longer thought about calmness, because every minute they were waiting for a “relapse”. Black circles under the eyes, shortness of breath, palpitations “signaled” that our health was significantly undermined: there was no strength left even to visit the previously planned excursions. Only in the SEA did we feel a surge of vital energy. 31.07. 2012 Journey on the "caramel" ENGINE. The Greek village and its inhabitants left a pleasant impression. Cheerful drivers of the PAROVOZA, they are also guides, cheered up. We bought fresh honey from a local apiary and medicinal mountain herbs to our taste and time: we needed to improve our lost health by any available means. The night that followed was restless, because there was an oppressive silence on the territory of the Elounda Blu Beach Hotel: the birds no longer sang, the cicadas no longer “sounded”, the leaves on our beloved palm tree turned yellow and began to dry out, and on the path in the evening we found, half dead, familiar Hedgehog. (More we did not see him - from that moment). But the air in the hotel remains clean. This pleases so far. 01.08. 2012 We restore spoiled health: we try to spend all the time in nature. We take walks along the coast and explore local neighborhoods and attractions. Acquired during the stay in the "strange" hotel called "Elounda Blu Beach" shortness of breath began to pass. The hope that everything will get better has not left us: the air in the vicinity of the hotel is clean. In the evening we visited the hotel's favorite place of entertainment: vacationers gather near the bar and become spectators and listeners of various dance and music shows. Oddly enough, with the illumination in the hotel - a clear problem. All concert programs take place in almost absolute darkness, and this is annoying. (In short, not impressed). 02.08. 2012 (letter to the Beleon travel company) Please take urgent measures to the management of the Elounda Blu Beach hotel, located on the island. Crete, which, for watering plants growing on the territory, use biological additives with a pungent and persistent smell of sewerage and caustic chemicals, causing vacationers not only unbearable moral anguish when inhaled, but also expose their health to a real danger of contamination by the decomposition products of this mixture, evaporating in the heat and hovering in the surrounding air, as well as pouring streams along footpaths. Being on vacation on the territory of the above-mentioned hotel from July 22.2012 for ten days, we, the undersigned, twice appealed to the hotel management and personally to the director of the hotel, in the presence of a representative of the company "Beleon" guide Maria, on the issue of the inadmissibility of using on the territory where vacationers arrived to improve their health, this method of watering plants, causing harm to the health of others. In a personal conversation, we received an assurance from the hotel director that this unacceptable phenomenon would not happen again. But all the promises were reduced only to a temporary, no more than 2 days, cessation of watering with this mixture. Tonight, at 2 o'clock local time, the pungent smell of a foul-smelling mixture pouring from the hoses near the